The Role of Civil Engineering Institute in Increasing the International Competitiveness of the St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University

AbstractThe St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University is one of the 15 universities who won in the competition for the right to obtain a grant of Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation in order to enhance their competitiveness among the world's leading research and education centers. The purpose of the Program “5-100-2020” is ensure the entry of at least five Russian universities in the top one hundred world's leading universities by 2020 (according to the QS World University Rankings). The article discusses the role of the Civil Engineering Institute in increasing the international competitiveness of the St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University

State of the Kozmin and Wrangel Bays (Peter the Great Bay, Japan Sea): dynamics of pollution with heavy metals

Pollution with heavy metals, as iron, manganese, zinc, copper, lead, nickel, and cadmium is considered for the coastal waters in two bights of Peter the Great Bay on the data of the metals content in tissues of the algae Sargassum miyabei and Saccharina japonica . The Fe and Mn indicate terrigenous runoff, the Zn and Cu - anthropogenic impact, and the Pb, Ni, and Cd are the tracers of industrial pollution. The content of Fe is the highest among heavy metals; its maximum concentrations are found in the top of the Kozmin Bay and at Cape Petrovsky in the Wrangel Bay. The Pb and Cd contents are higher at the small boats berthing in the Kozmin Bay. The Ni content is the highest (up to 4 mg/g) on reefs in front of the oil terminal in the Wrangel Bay and in the top of the Kozmin Bay that is possibly reasoned by shipping activity because Ni is included in all oils. The Zn concentration is the highest at the pier in the Wrangel Bay constructed of stone blocks. The contents of heavy metals in algae from these bights are compared with similar data from the Avachinsky Bay (Kamchatka), Nha-Trang Bay (Vietnam) and port Santos (Brazil); relatively high pollution of the Kozmin and Wrangel Bays by Pb is revealed. Pollution in these bights has mostly industrial and anthropogenic nature. The pollution with Ni and Cd decreased between 1995 and 2008, but became higher again in 2012-2013, the pollution with Mn, Zn and Fe also increased in 2012-2013

Control of air pollution caused by vehicular emissions

Dispersion of air pollutants is caused often by vehicular emissions. It is necessary to define correctly parameters, which influence on emissions. In this article analysis of the parameters and calculations of Saint-Petersburg roads are shown. According to results, measures to improve the air state are defined. Solving of this ecological problem is implementation of development programs of urban public transport, the use of fuel with improved environmental characteristics, the development of electric modes of transport, traffic management methods to increase the capacity of the road and road network in the city

Potential of energy saving on transport

The transport system of the Russian Federation includes not only railway, automobile, air, sea and river transport, but also main gas and oil pipelines. Given the volume and variety of modes of transport, the introduction of measures to improve energy efficiency in the transport sector will save significant amounts of fuel and energy resources. In the light of the annual increase in energy consumption, the degree of negative impact on the environment and the amount of emissions of harmful substances, energy saving issues in transport make this issue even more important. The article describes the dynamics of the Russian car market for the previous year, shows the key ways to improve energy efficiency and energy saving in road transport

Control of air pollution caused by vehicular emissions

Dispersion of air pollutants is caused often by vehicular emissions. It is necessary to define correctly parameters, which influence on emissions. In this article analysis of the parameters and calculations of Saint-Petersburg roads are shown. According to results, measures to improve the air state are defined. Solving of this ecological problem is implementation of development programs of urban public transport, the use of fuel with improved environmental characteristics, the development of electric modes of transport, traffic management methods to increase the capacity of the road and road network in the city

The optimal decision of insulation in cladding structures for energy efficient buildings

Execution of thermal insulation for enclosing structures of residential properties is a sophisticated part of the thermal protection. The choice of insulation materials for external walls is one of the main ways to increase the performance of heat insulation. This article contains thermo-technical calculations of two enclosing structures due to conditions of Saint-Petersburg. According to the results, the thickness of the insulating layer and a total wall thickness of the exterior walls composed of concrete, insulation and sand-cement rendering are smaller than the same characteristics of wall construction of hollow tile, insulation and sand-cement rendering

Technical features of the construction of high-rise buildings

High-rise buildings are unique construction objects, in the design and construction of which special rules and regulations apply. The purpose of the work is, through an analysis of the literature and technical documentation, to present the main features of the construction of high-rise buildings. Based on the results of the study, differences in the concept of "high-rise building" in different countries were identified, specific problems encountered in high-rise construction were described, and design features of high-rise buildings were described. Special attention is paid to additional difficulties arising in the construction of high-rise buildings, due to the specificity of loads, construction technology, operation of high-rise buildings, and other reasons

Using alternative fuels to increase energy efficiency in the transport sector

The trend of recent years is the constant increase in fuel consumption by transport. Transport is the most important consumer of the highest quality types of liquid fuel, a large consumer of electricity. The article describes the main types of alternative fuel, the advantages of replacing gasoline with natural gas, evaluates the economic efficiency of conversing a car to gas and proposes general measures for energy conservation and energy efficiency in the transport sector

Smart glass as the method of improving the energy efficiency of high-rise buildings

The question that has to be answered in high-rise building is glazing and its service life conditions. Contemporary market offers several types of window units, for instance, wooden, aluminum, PVC and combined models. Wooden and PVC windows become the most widespread and competitive between each other. In recent times design engineers choose smart glass. In this article, the advantages and drawbacks of all types of windows are reviewed, and the recommendations are given according to choice of window type in order to improve energy efficiency of buildings